Latch foe



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH M. CROSBY, OF NORWALK, OHIO.

LATCH FOR DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,490, dated June 9, 1857.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH M. CROSBY, of Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Method in Door and Sash Catches and Latches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference bein made to the accompanying drawings and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention is in making and constructing a door catch or latch in any of the known forms, constructing the bolt or latch part of the catch with a recess to receive an additional soft spiral spring, acting independently and solely upon the said bolt or latch part of the catch on shutting the door. One end of this soft spiral spring is constantly pressing the bolt outward. The other end rests and is kept in its place by a slide, pin, or screw,'

fixed or placed in the case of the catch. Therefore when the door is being shut, and the said bolt of the catch is thereby pressed back, it operates only upon this soft spring, without acting on the cam, other springs, spindle, or any other parts of the whole catch. Whereby I obtain an easy, soft-act ing, durable catch or latch, and much less liable to break and get out of repair.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct the catch or latch in any of the known forms, and apply to it a corresponding case, also cam, rod, Inainspring, knob, and spindle, as is seen in Figure I and Fig. II, all of which. may be made of any metal desired.

Fig. I represents a section of the door and catch.

Fig. II represents a section of the catch; (B) the bolt or latch, Within which is the soft spiral spring (F), one end resting against the slide (S), or in the absence of the slide, the pin or screw (m); also is seen (E) the mainspring, around the connecting rod (D), and A the cam or eccentric,

through which the spindle passes to draw back the Whole.

Fig. III represents a section of a plain catch, constructed much like Fig. II, made with or without the compound spring, or slide. A A, is the cam or eccentric. B B, is the bolt or latch of the catch, made with a recess to receive the soft spiral spring aforesaid, and which the soft spring wholly governs, in the shutting of the door. (L L), is the case, within which the whole apparatus is placed, made in two parts, proper slats in the sides, for the rotation of the cam, and, to guide the slide (S). (S S), is the slide which forms a stay, at its ends, for both the main and soft spring, and also a connection for the bolt and rod. (M M), is the pin or screw, which forms a rest for one end of the soft spring, in case of absence of the slide; at same time may assist in holding the case together, thereby forming what I term the soft door catch. Its utility is readily seen-that the door is shut with more ease, less noise, and saving the liability of breaking any of the other attachments to the catch, as in other catches often occurs, also it being made with less metal, simple, durable and cheap.

hat I claim as my invention, is-

The employment of the additional, soft spring F, and connecting slide S, or its equivalent, between and in combination with, the bolt B, and main spring E, arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein specified.

JEREMIAH M. CROSBY.

)Vitnesses JAMES T. KING, E. RINDGE. 

